DIAMOND BAR – A study released Friday found the cancer risk from air pollution in Southern California is down 15 percent, but the good news was tempered by the reality that the region still has some of the dirtiest air in the country.

Scientists estimate that about 1,200 of every 1 million people in the region will get cancer linked to the dirty air if they live about 70 years. Health experts consider an acceptable level to be 10 cases for every 1 million people, Ospital said.

The study said the risk more than doubled to 2,900 per million for those who live around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, where diesel use is significant.

The two ports combined account for more than 40 percent of all containerized cargo entering the U.S. each year. Port growth has raised concerns in surrounding communities about the impact of pollution from trucks, cargo ships and other vehicles.

The study said high cancer risk areas include Burbank, downtown Los Angeles, Fontana, Huntington Park and Wilmington. The area with the lowest cancer risk was Anaheim.

"There is a general recognition that we don't need these military-style weapons in New Zealand, so it's very easy to win cross-party support for this," said Mark Mitchell, who was defense minister in the previous, center-right government and who supports the ban initiated by the center-left-led Labour Party.